Intro to Alien Hunting and Immortal Beings
by Linkin41
Summary: "Pack your bags, Rex. We're going back to the states. Come on, Gwen, I'll drive us back. We need to leave immediately."
1. Chapter 1

This little crossover came from an idea on Tumblr that I decided to run with. Needless to say, I took that idea and went full sprint with it. This is my first foray into Torchwood fic, I hope it's not too bad. Anyway, the timeline on this fic is post Miracle Day, during Community season 3. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Gwen, I understand that you, Jack, and Rex want to rebuild Torchwood," Rhys said as he and Gwen cooked breakfast in the kitchen of their ocean-side home, "But do you have to conduct business in our living room?"<p>

"Until we find a more suitable location, yes," Gwen replied, "I'm sorry Rhys, but it's only temporary."

"Temporary? It's been four months, Gwen," Rhys exclaimed, "How much longer is this going to last?"

"I don't know," Gwen snapped back at him, "Jack's been scouting locations for a new base and he hasn't found one yet that suits our needs."

"I'm just thinking of Anwen," Rhys said, lowering his voice, "she can't be raised in an environment like this."

"I know," Gwen sighed, "I'm sorry. Maybe I'll work with Jack to find a new location so we can stop having everything happen in our living room."

Rhys smiled in reply and leaned in to kiss Gwen.

"Woah, did we come at a bad time?"

Gwen and Rhys broke apart, looking at the two immortal men who had just entered their home.

"No, it's fine," Gwen replied to Jack, "come on in and have a seat. I'm sure you're both hungry."

"I'm starving," Rex replied, taking a seat at the table, "It's been so long since I had a home cooked meal."

"We had dinner here last night," Jack said with a raised brow.

"Like I said, it's been a long time," Rex smirked.

Gwen laughed as she served the two men their plates before running off to feed a fussy Anwen.

* * *

><p>"Well, look who the cat dragged in," Shirley said as Britta entered the study room.<p>

"Yeah, you're not usually late," Abed said, "it's really telling since Jeff got here before you."

"Are you saying I'm always late," Jeff asked, looking up from his phone.

"Yep," Abed replied matter-of-factly.

"Why were you late," Annie asked Britta.

"I thought I'd lost one of my cats," Britta replied, "but it turns out he was hiding under my bed."

"How do your cats even live," Troy asked, "they both have one eye and one of them has a bad leg."

"Hey! My cats are capable of living like any other normal cat," Britta fired back at him, "are you saying my cats aren't really cats because of their handicaps?"

"Way to go, Troy," Pierce said, shaking his head, "now she'll never shut up."

"HEY!"

"Guys," Jeff looked between Britta, Troy, and Pierce, "just drop it. Britta's cats are not worth yelling about."

Britta narrowed her eyes at him.

"No offense to your cats," Jeff said to her.

Britta crossed her arms, frowning, "My cats are just like any other cat."

"We know, Britta. We know," Shirley said, hoping to placate her.

* * *

><p>Gwen had kept her word to Rhys and went off with Jack to scout for potential bases as Rex stayed behind to monitor rift activity on Jack's laptop.<p>

"I'm sorry we've been intruding for months," Rex said as Rhys walked in with Anwen in his arms.

Rhys shook his head, "S'alright. I just hope you find a new base soon."

Rex let out a chuckle, "Jack is extremely picky. I'd be surprised if he and Gwen found one today."

"I hope they do," Rhys said, "I've got nothing against you and Jack, I just want Gwen's home life and work life to be separate. It's not healthy for Anwen."

"I understand," Rex said, pulling out his phone and turning it on, "we'll be out of here before you know it."

Rhys laughed, standing up to put Anwen in her crib for a nap, "I'll see it when I believe it."

Rex's phone beeped, telling him he had one missed call. He flipped it open and checked the voicemail.

"_Rex? Why isn't your phone on? This is important! There are some strange things going on around here and none of it can be explained logically. Call me back when you get this and I'll give you more details."_

He knew that voice. It belonged to their American liaison he had met months earlier. He went through his contacts and found the number, hitting the green button to initiate the call.

* * *

><p>"Jack, you do know this is an old UNIT base right," Gwen said as she stepped out of her car.<p>

"I'm aware," Jack responded as he stood back and looked at the building.

"We usually don't like working with UNIT," Gwen reminded him.

"What did you say this was," Jack turned to look at her.

"An old UNIT base," Gwen repeated.

"That's right. An _old _UNIT base, meaning they don't use it anymore and they left it here to rot," Jack smirked.

"Okay, but what if they found out we're using one of their old buildings," Gwen crossed her arms.

"I'll deal with them," Jack said, walking toward the building, "if they still wanted it, they would still be using it right now."

Gwen rolled her eyes and started to follow Jack, only for her phone to ring. She didn't even have to look at the screen to know who was calling.

"What have you got, Rex?"

"_I got a call from our liaison back in the states," Rex replied._

Gwen motioned for Jack to come back as she put Rex on speaker, "What could possibly be happening in America that would concern us?"

"_People have been found dead from what appears to be animal attacks, but no one has been able to identify the animal," Rex explained, "in fact, they can't even determine what species it could even be. All that's been reported were unusual scratches and claw marks and irregular bite patterns."_

"That does sound like something we need to check out," Jack replied, "where are the reports coming from?"

"_Where our liaison lives. Greendale, Colorado."_

Gwen noticed that Jack stiffened for a moment before relaxing, "Pack your bags, Rex. We're going back to the states. Come on, Gwen, I'll drive us back. We need to leave immediately."

"_I'll see you soon."_

Gwen ended the call and ran after Jack back to her car, who quickly put it in reverse once she was in.

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

Gwen gave him a look, "You reaction to the location was...odd."

Jack glanced at her briefly before focusing back on the road, "It's nothing for you to worry about. Right now, we need three tickets to Denver."

Gwen decided not to press further, she knew Jack wouldn't give her any answers. She pulled out her phone once more and dialed Rhys.

"Did Rex tell you anything," Gwen asked, "well, we're going back to the US. I know we just got back but something strange is happening over there and we're going to check it out. I'm calling you to ask if you could please purchase three airline tickets for us and for the next available flight. You can put it on my card."


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Community or Torchwood. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Annie noticed something off about Jeff when he met up with the group, sans Britta, at lunch. He didn't even pull out his phone when he set down his lunch tray and began quietly eating.<p>

"What's up with you," Pierce asked, "who died?"

"Pierce," Shirley scolded him.

"What? He's not acting like himself," Pierce defended, "I'm only worried for him."

"I'd rather not talk about it," Jeff said, his voice barely heard over the noise of the cafeteria.

"Jeff, we're your friends," Annie put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "you can tell us anything."

Jeff put his fork down, his eyes going to Annie's for a moment before looking at the others.

"I got a call from my mom an hour ago," Jeff said, "she said that she's going to have a visitor tomorrow and that I should come over and meet him."

"Do you think she means your father," Abed asked.

"It could be anyone," Troy said, trying to sound positive.

"You're right, Troy. It could be anyone," Jeff replied to him in a sarcastic tone, "but I'm sure she's talking about my father. In which case, I'm not going to see her tomorrow."

Annie and Shirley shared a concern look.

"I know your father hasn't been around for the past two decades," Shirley started, "but I think you should finally confront him and have your say about all of it. It'll make you feel better."

"I agree," Annie nodded, "one of us can even go with you if you want. For support."

Jeff looked around at the group, seeing all of their sympathetic and encouraging smiles.

He sighed, "Fine. I'll go, but I'm doing this alone. I need to do this on my own."

"You can call us after and tell us how it went," Annie said, patting his shoulder.

"Okay, can I bring up something that's been bothering me," Troy asked, pointing to the empty seat next to Abed, "Where's Britta?"

"I'm right here," Britta said, sliding in next to Abed and putting down her tray.

"Okay, where were you," Troy questioned.

"I was on the phone," Britta said, "it was an important call."

"With who," Abed asked.

"With my….friend….in New York," Britta answered before shoving her mouth full of salad.

"Uh huh," Jeff said skeptically, "is that why you're trying to avoid any further conversation?"

Britta shook her head.

"I'm hungry," She said with a full mouth.

"Close your mouth and chew," Shirley said sternly.

* * *

><p>Jack gazed out the window of the plane as they flew over the Atlantic, thinking back on how long had it been since he was in Greendale.<p>

He does the math and figures it's been at least thirty years. He had managed to avoid Greendale completely during the Miracle, but that couldn't be helped.

"What's on your mind, World War Two?"

Jack turned to look at his newly immortal companion, "I thought you were asleep."

"I don't sleep much anymore," Rex said, "not that I used to sleep much before."

Jack leaned over to check on Gwen, who was sleeping soundly in her seat.

"She's been like that for the past few hours," Rex said, glancing to her, "I'm sort of jealous she can sleep normal hours."

"Not needing much sleep is something you'll get used to," Jack said.

"You didn't answer my question," Rex brought back the topic, "what's on your mind?"

Jack shrugged, "I lived in Greendale for a while, back in the 70's."

"Really?"

Jack nodded, "I haven't been back since…well, until now."

"Do you have friends or family there?"

"Family. You don't live this long without getting married a few times and having a few kids."

Rex coughed, "Are you saying that you have children and grandchildren running around? How many?"

"Not that many," Jack reassured him, "I have a daughter in London who I've lost contact with years ago. I'd rather not talk about it."

"What about Greendale?"

"I have a son," Jack replied, "who doesn't know about me and probably won't recognize me. I'm seeing him tomorrow."

Rex's eyes widened for a second, "Good luck to you."

"Thanks, I have a feeling I'll need it."

"Does Gwen know?"

"I didn't tell her. I know how she'll react."

"Yeah, it's probably for the best."

"Thanks for listening, Rex."

"Any time, World War Two."

* * *

><p>Britta wandered down the deserted halls of Greendale the next day. Since it was a Saturday, very few people were on campus, which made it an ideal meeting spot. She was told to meet in front of the storage room around two o' clock that afternoon. Britta's phone read 2:08, the study group making her late.<p>

She was suddenly yanked inside of the storage room, making an audible yelp before turning around to see who pulled her inside.

"Jesus, Rex! Why did you do that," Britta said as she met Rex's eyes.

"You're late," He replied to her.

"I'm sorry, but you have never met my friends," Britta defended.

"This is our liaison," Gwen asked as she and Jack approached from the other side of the storage room.

"Woah, who are you people," Britta said, jumping when she saw them approach.

"Gwen Cooper, Captain Jack Harkness," Rex pointed to them before pointing to Britta, "meet Britta Perry."

"Hello Miss Perry," Jack said, grinning.

"Do you have to flirt with everyone you come across," Gwen gave him a look.

"I was only saying hello," Jack said, still grinning.

"Can we get back to what we're here for," Rex said, rolling his eyes, "Gwen and Jack are my co-workers. The three of us make Torchwood."

"Torchwood? I thought you were C.I.A.," Britta crossed her arms, "What the hell is Torchwood?"

"The only capable organization to deal with the strange things that are happening here," Jack said.

"And I'm not in the C.I.A. anymore," Rex said, "but don't think that means you're off the hook."

Britta frowned.

"How do you know her now," Gwen asked.

"She was on a few government watch lists," Rex responded, "she's an activist."

"I don't go to rallies anymore," Britta responded, "I've decided to major in Psychology instead."

"We made a deal to clear her name from those lists," Rex continued, "anyway, what do you have for us Britta?"

She pulled out a small parcel out of her pocket, "Newspaper clippings I gathered and some pictures I managed to take at the murder scenes."

Rex unraveled the parcel, passing out its contents to Gwen and Jack.

"How long has this been going on," Gwen asked.

"Three days now," Britta answered.

"And they're random victims," Jack questioned.

"That's what it seems like," Britta said.

"This isn't anything I recognize," Gwen commented, "how about you, Jack?"

"I haven't seen anything like this," Jack furrowed his brow, "this bite pattern is different from ones I've seen."

"That's all I've got," Britta said, "do you still need me?"

"I'll call you if we need you," Rex said, "for now you can go."

Britta gave him a short nod and walked out of the storage room, checking to see if anyone saw her before taking off back to her car.

* * *

><p>Jeff took a deep breath as he parked his Lexus in front of his mom's home, debating on whether he should just put the car back in drive and head to a bar. He exhaled, he told the group he would do this, he couldn't back out now. After putting his car in park and brushing the lint off his button up shirt, he stepped out onto the sidewalk and went to the front door.<p>

Just as he was going to knock, he heard his mother and another voice laughing. Jeff paused, maybe it wasn't his father. If it was, she wouldn't be laughing. Feeling better about meeting this stranger, he knocked on the door. A few moments later, Jeff's smiling mother, Doreen, opened the door.

"It's so good to see you," Doreen said as she gave Jeff a warm hug, "come in! You have to meet this man!"

Jeff stepped inside, "What man? Do I know him?"

"I'm afraid not, but he is a very important man," Doreen said, leading him into her sitting room.

When Jeff entered the sitting room, he saw a man in a long, vintage military coat sitting on the love-seat. The man smiled brightly when his eyes fell onto Jeff.

"Jeff," Doreen said, "this is the man I want you to meet. Captain Jack Harkness."

Jack stood and crossed the room quickly, holding out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Jeff."

Jeff shook his hand, "How do you two know each other?"

Jack and Doreen shared a look before looking back at Jeff.

"We should sit down," Jack said.

Jeff threw a bewildered look to his mom as he sat next to Jack on the love seat, his mother sitting in an adjacent chair.

"This is going to be hard to explain to you," Doreen started, "but let me say that Jack and I are old friends. We've known each other for several years."

"If you're old friends, why haven't I met him before," Jeff asked.

"I think you should let Doreen talk," Jack said, urging Doreen to continue.

"Anyway," Doreen continued, "Jack is an important part of my life and he was important in your life when you were little. Well, here comes the hard part."

Jeff braced himself for whatever his mother going to say next.

"Well, Jack and I," Doreen took a deep breath, "we were married in the 70's. We were together for five years."

"Five wonderful years," Jack said with a smile on his face.

Jeff looked between his mother and Jack. If it that true, Jack should have been older than he appeared.

"We ended up getting a divorce after he told me about who he really was," Doreen said, "we decided to remain friends though. For one reason."

"You," Jack said, putting an arm around Jeff's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I never told you this before, Jeff," Doreen said, "but William Winger is not your father. Jack is."


	3. Chapter 3

I still don't own Community or Torchwood, but I kinda wish that maybe one or both were on the air right now.

* * *

><p>"Britta, where have you been," Troy exclaimed as she walked into Chez Trobed-Annie, "you were supposed to be here an hour ago to help us set up!"<p>

"Yeah, where were you," Annie asked, "you've been disappearing a lot lately."

"I've been having a lot of things going on lately, I'm so sorry," Britta said, sitting down next to Annie, "When is everyone else showing up?"

"Shirley is on her way, but has to pick up Pierce," Abed said, "and Jeff I'm unsure about. He's visiting his mother today."

"He'll call," Annie said, "what's been going on with you?"

"I can't say," Britta said, "if I could, I would tell you. But I can't."

"You're not secretly a super hero are you," Troy asked, casting suspicion on her.

"No, nothing like that," Britta said, "Well, at least I'm not. Oh! I've said too much! You never heard that!"

"Too late," Abed said.

"I'm just going to shut my mouth," Britta said, "before I say anything else."

The youngest study group members exchanged looks, wondering what Britta was keeping from them.

* * *

><p>Jeff was silent for a moment, then suddenly started laughing.<p>

"I told you he would react exactly like this," Doreen said to Jack.

Jack shrugged, "I don't blame him, the story is ridiculous."

"That was a pretty good joke, mom," Jeff said, "now can you tell me who he really is?"

"I'm not joking, Jeffrey," Doreen said with no hint of humor in her voice, "everything I just told you is true."

The smile faded away from his face when he heard Doreen use his full name, "That's not possible. If you two really were married in the 70's, then why doesn't he look older?"

Jeff turned to look at Jack, "You have to be between thirty to thirty-five. You're my age! You can't be my father!"

Jack sighed and looked to Doreen, "I think it's my turn to take over."

Doreen nodded and sat back, letting Jack tell the story she heard all those years ago.

"This is going to sound more unbelievable than the first story you heard, but stay with me," Jack began, "I was a Time Agent from the 51st century. I was also a con-man, but that's not important. I met a man called The Doctor and his companion Rose. I traveled with them for a while and we were caught in a battle with these aliens called the Daleks. One of them managed to shoot me and I was killed right on the spot. Then something amazing happened, I came back to life and my wounds were healed completely. The Doctor left me behind and I managed to get myself back to Earth, but I ended up in the 19th century. I may look like I'm in my thirties, but I'm hundreds of years old. From what I've been told, I'm a fixed point in time. I'll never age and I can never stay dead too long. I always come back."

Jeff sat in disbelief. He didn't want to believe an outrageous story like this, but no one was laughing. Neither Jack or his mother were smiling.

"You can't die, period," Jeff asked, wanting to clarify what Jack said.

"I've died several times," Jack replied, "I just can't stay dead."

Jeff took a deep breath, unsure of what he should say.

"You have his eyes, Jeff," Doreen said, "they're the exact same shade of blue."

Jeff's eyes looked back at Jack's. It was almost like looking in a mirror, Jack's eyes looking more aged than Jeff's.

"Okay, so if he is my father," Jeff said, turning back to his mother, "then you're saying I had to deal with a drunken man who insulted and abused me for years and I had to call him dad, when he never was my father? You're saying that nearly my entire life was a big, fat lie?"

"You don't think I feel guilty about that," Doreen responded, "I'm sorry I had to lie to you all these years, but it was necessary. I mean, what if Jack and I did stay together? Wouldn't look odd that I was growing older while he looked the same? You said it yourself, both of you look the same age!"

"And I already had my say about William Winger and what he did to you," Jack said, "I'm sorry it took this long to tell you, but I've been busy keeping Earth safe from alien attacks."

"Is that why you're here," Jeff asked, "you can't be here just to see us."

Jack nodded, "I'm part of an organization called Torchwood and we're here to investigate the animal attacks that have been happening recently."

"And my name," Jeff said, "you had to change it, right? To Winger."

"To avoid suspicion, yes," Doreen said.

"Also for your safety," Jack said.

Jeff stood up, "I think I should go. I need to let this all sink in."

He walked briskly out of the house, jumping into his Lexus and speeding off back to his apartment. He was suddenly glad that he bought a new bottle of scotch, he would need a stiff drink after this.

* * *

><p>"Any word from Jeff yet," Shirley asked as the group reached hour two of Fellowship of the Ring.<p>

Everyone shook their heads.

"I'm starting to think something happened," Abed said.

"I hope it's nothing bad," Annie said.

"What if he did meet his father guys," Britta said, "he probably wouldn't be up to joining us for a marathon."

"Well, if he met his father, I'm sure one of them ended up with a black eye," Pierce commented.

"Pierce," Britta scolded him.

"I meant that his father would be the one with a black eye," Pierce defended.

Annie's phone chirped, alerting her of a new text. She grabbed it quickly and read the text.

"It's from Jeff," Annie said, "he's not going to join us, he's not feeling well."

"I guess he got the black eye," Pierce said.

Pierce was oblivious to the five stern looks he was receiving for his comment.

"What does he mean he's not feeling well," Troy asked.

"He's probably angry or traumatized," Britta answered, "or both."

Annie's phone chirped again. She read the text quietly to herself before responding back quickly and getting to her feet, heading to her bedroom.

"What are you doing," Abed asked.

"Jeff asked me to go over to his place," Annie responded.

"Just you," Shirley questioned.

"Yes," Annie replied before going into her room to get her shoes and bag.

"Don't you think that's a little odd," Britta asked.

"Just let it go," Abed said, turning back to the movie.

"You know something don't you," Troy asked.

"I have a theory," Abed said, "that's why I'm saying to let it go."

* * *

><p>"How did it go," Rex asked as he and Jack sat in their two bedroom suite, waiting for Gwen to comeback with take out.<p>

"About as well as you would expect," Jack replied.

"That bad?"

"I don't think I'll ever hear from him again."

"Hear from who," Gwen asked, placing styrofoam containers in front of them.

"You should tell her," Rex said, digging into his Chinese take out.

"Tell me what? Jack, what are you hiding?"

Jack sighed, "I have an ex-wife and a son living in town. I haven't seen them in years and my son didn't even know me."

"You have family," Gwen took a seat next to him, "and you didn't tell me?"

"Before you even start, I saw them this afternoon. It didn't go well."

"I'm sure it bloody well didn't," Gwen started to raise her voice.

"Don't start," Rex said, "he's already having a hard time with this."

"Fine," Gwen popped a piece of lemon chicken in her mouth, still giving Jack an angry look.

"I told you she'd react like this," Jack said, glancing over to Rex.

* * *

><p>"It's open," Jeff yelled to the door when he heard knocking.<p>

Annie stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She spotted a bottle of scotch on Jeff's coffee table with a third of its contents missing as she plopped down next to him on the couch.

"What happened, Jeff," Annie gave him a concerned look.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," Jeff replied, taking another swig of scotch, "I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened."

"Was your father there?"

"Yes, but...it's complicated."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Annie said, "but why invite me over? The others are just as worried about you as I am."

"Because I didn't want to drink myself to oblivion," Jeff replied, "I needed someone to tell me when I had enough. It was either you or Shirley, but I know how Shirley's rage can be sometimes."

"Is that all?"

Jeff sighed, "I also wanted a friend who would keep me company and maybe when I've finally processed it, I can tell you what happened."

"It was that traumatizing?"

"You have no idea."

* * *

><p>It was around 2 am when Gwen was woken up by a sudden scream. She hastily put on her clothes, grabbed her gun and stun gun, and dashed out of the room. Gwen ran into Jack and Rex in the hall, who were already off running. She sprinted off after them.<p>

"You heard that too," Gwen asked between breaths.

"How couldn't you hear it," Jack replied, "it woke the entire building up!"

"It sounded like it came from the lobby," Rex said.

"Lift or stairs," Gwen asked.

"Stairs," Jack said, kicking the door to the staircase open.

After running down three flights of stairs, hopping over most of the steps, they barged into the lobby which was already being taped off by police.

"Let us through," Jack said as he approached the police tape.

"Who are you," The policeman asked.

"Torchwood," Gwen answered, "let us through we need to investigate."

"I don't know who you are, but I'm not letting you through," the policeman replied.

"We're special ops," Rex said, stepping under the tape, "now let us do our jobs."

The policeman protested as Jack and Gwen followed, but made no effort to stop them.

"Oh god," Gwen said when they finally got to see the bodies.

Two men lay bleeding out in the middle of the lobby, chests torn open and faces scratched beyond recognition. Once Gwen regained her composure, she kneeled down between Rex and Jack to further inspect the bodies.

"Same claw marks," Rex commented, examining their faces.

Jack turned to one of the victims, lifting up their shirt, "And the same bite marks."

"So, this is the work of our mysterious monster," Gwen said, standing up again, "but I don't see any tracks or any evidence of where they could have gone."

"Excuse me, who are you? Who permitted you to this crime scene," A red-headed woman in a black suit asked inquisitively.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack introduced himself, holding out his hand to the woman, "and this is my team. We're experts on this sort of thing."

"Detective Tracy Brown," The Detective glanced down at his hand, giving it a brief shake, "Experts? It's just an animal attack."

"It's not just an animal attack," Jack said, "this isn't a typical animal. It's something else entirely."

"Are you suggesting it's...not of this Earth," Tracy asked.

"I'm not suggesting, I'm telling you it isn't," Jack said, "is there anyway you can take some samples and run them in your lab?"

"Possibly," The detective raised a brow.

"Send the results here when you get them," Jack said, "we'll be in town for a while."


	4. Chapter 4

As usual, I don't own any of this really. Just borrowing them for the sake of an idea.

* * *

><p>Britta groaned as her phone started ringing. She blinked at the small alarm clock beside her, 8:17 am. Her fingers wrapped around the phone, her blurry eyes making out Rex's number on the screen.<p>

"This had better be important," Britta growled into the phone as she answered.

"_I wouldn't call you if it wasn't," _Rex replied, _"and good morning to you too."_

"What is it, Rex," Britta sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes.

"_There was another attack tonight in our hotel lobby," _Rex said.

This woke Britta up, "Did they survive?"

"_Unfortunately they didn't," _Rex replied, _"I'm calling to ask you to put together a map of all the attacks. You know this city more than us and I have a feeling there might be a pattern."_

"Sure, I just need to buy a map of Greendale," Britta said, changing out of her pajamas, "You're lucky I live close to a 24 hour convenience store."

"_We'll be over at your place in an hour," _Rex said, _"See you soon."_

* * *

><p>Annie ended up going home at nine that morning, having fallen asleep mid-talk next to Jeff on the couch sometime in the middle of the night. He had sprouted out some details about meeting his father and how his mother lied to him his entire life about who his real father was. When she asked about whether or not he would talk to him again, he only shrugged.<p>

Annie left a note on the table before she went home, where she was bombarded by questions from Troy and Abed about what happened that night. Once she assured them nothing happened, they calmed down and presented her with a tiny problem of their own.

"Oh my god, Troy," Annie exclaimed, looking at his arm, "what happened to your arm?"

"There was this cat outside our window and I wanted to bring it inside," Troy explained, "but it scratched and bit me before ran off!"

Annie ran her fingers over the bite wound, noticing a slight green tinge on the outer edges.

"Are you sure it was a cat," Annie asked, "this doesn't look like a cat bite. And it's turning green! I think it might be infected."

"It was a cat," Abed said, "I saw it."

Annie mulled over going to the hospital or treating the wound itself. Besides the discoloration, it didn't look to serious. Maybe after treating it with antibiotics, it would go away.

"Come on Troy, I have some stuff in the bathroom that I can treat this with."

* * *

><p>"Looks like there isn't a pattern," Gwen observed the map Britta had put together, "it's just random locations."<p>

"I'm sorry," Britta said.

"Why are you apologizing," Jack asked, "it was Rex's theory, you just made the map."

"I'm just sorry it didn't help you," Britta said.

"It's alright, you did good on the map," Rex said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"So, I guess all we have to rely on are those lab results," Gwen said, "when do we get those results by the way?"

"We'll have them by Tuesday," Jack answered.

"Fantastic," Gwen said in a sarcastic tone.

That was when Gwen felt something brushing against her legs.

"Oh look at you," Gwen bent down to rub the cat's head, "oh you have one eye, you poor thing."

"That's Rufus," Britta said, "I have another cat too, Ronald. He also has one eye, but he's been hiding under my bed lately."

"You have two one-eyed cats," Gwen said, picking up Rufus, "the poor things."

"Well, at least together they're able to do anything," Jack chuckled.

"Thank you," Britta said, "finally someone agrees with me!"

"Shouldn't we get going," Rex said, looking to Jack.

"Right, I have some other business to attend to," Jack said, ignoring Gwen's side-eye to him.

"We'll keep in touch," Gwen said to Britta with a smile.

* * *

><p>Jeff didn't have any plans for today. He planned on spending it in front of the TV, either watching movies or playing Call of Duty. What he didn't plan on was having Jack show up on his doorstep.<p>

"Is this you trying to make up for lost...decades," Jeff asked when he opened the door.

"I just want to talk," Jack replied.

"So you are trying to make up for lost decades?"

"Jeff please. Can I come in?"

"No."

Jack frowned.

"But we can go for a walk."

Jeff closed the door, slipping on his boots and shrugging on his jacket. Once he put his keys in his pocket, he opened the door again and stepped outside. The two men began walking, remaining silent until they reached a crosswalk.

"I'm still finding it hard to believe you're my father," Jeff said, starting to walk again.

"I would be too if I was in your shoes," Jack replied.

"But why didn't you even think to call? Or write? Anything to let me know?"

Jack looked down, "To keep you and your mother safe."

"From what exactly?"

"I'm immortal. I deal with aliens and alien artifacts. I know a man called the Doctor. That's enough right there to gain interest from unsavory people."

Jack stopped walking, "Not to mention that people have died because of me."

Jeff halted and looked back at him, "How many?"

"Too many," Jack wouldn't meet Jeff's eyes, "I have a daughter who won't speak to me anymore because of what happened to her son, my grandson. It was my fault."

"So you thought reconnecting with me would make everything better?"

"You and your mother are the only family I have left, but maybe I am better off alone."

Jeff crossed his arms, looking up toward the sky.

"So, I'm putting my life in danger by getting to know you?"

Jack didn't respond.

"It's not any different being around my not-dad."

This caused Jack to look at Jeff. That's when Jeff suddenly realized they were still standing in the middle of the sidewalk, ten feet away from each other. He dropped his arms and turned to continue walking.

Jack followed behind him, "I plan on finding him when I'm done here."

"And? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to make him wish he never caused harm on you or Doreen."

Jeff glanced over to him, seeing the determination on his face.

"Despite the fact that it took you this long to talk to me and that you have some blood on your hands, I think I can grow to like you."

Jack looked over to Jeff, a small smile appearing on his face. It wasn't much, but it was progress.

* * *

><p>The study group met that Monday before class, all curious about how Jeff was doing after this past weekend.<p>

"You were right, Shirley," Jeff said, "I needed to see him."

"How did it go," Britta asked.

Jeff glanced to Annie briefly. She was still the only one who knew some of the details.

"Turns out I had a completely different father," Jeff said, "and, though he's done bad things, he's not a bad guy."

"Oh, that's nice," Shirley said with a grin.

"So, no black eyes or anything," Pierce asked.

"No, there weren't any fights," Jeff said.

"Troy, are you okay," Abed said, noticing Troy slumping in his seat.

"I'm just tired, that's all," Troy said, resting his head on the table.

"Are you sure," Annie asked, "it isn't from that bite is it?"

"I don't think so," Troy replied.

"Bite," Jeff questioned.

"Troy got bit by a stray cat yesterday," Annie explained, "I treated it, but I think I should have taken him to the hospital."

"I just need to sleep," Troy said, "I'll be fine."

"There you are!"

The study group jumped, turning around and seeing Rex coming into the room, Gwen and Jack following behind.

"What are you guys doing here," Britta asked.

"There's been an attack in the cafeteria," Gwen said, glancing around at the stunned faces at the table, "Hello."

"Jeff," Jack nodded to him.

"Captain," Jeff replied.

"Woah, you know him," Britta asked.

"You know them," Jeff asked.

"So, you're friends with our liaison," Jack asked Jeff.

"Britta is your liaison," Jeff asked.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on," Pierce shouted.

Jack sighed, "I'm Captain Jack Harkness. That's Gwen Cooper and that's Rex Matheson. We make up Torchwood."

"What does this have to with Britta or Jeff," Shirley asked.

"Britta is my state-side liaison because of a deal we made to get her off a few government watch lists," Rex said.

"That's what you've been hiding," Annie said, pointing at Britta.

"You caught me," Britta said.

"What about you two," Abed asked, pointing at Jack and Jeff.

Jeff and Jack shared a look, Jack nodding to him.

"These are the people I told you about, Captain," Jeff said, "these are my friends. Guys, this is my real father."

"He's your son," Gwen said, looking between Jack and Jeff.

"Yeah," Jack answered.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Gwen commented.

The study group stared at Jack wide-eyed.

"It's difficult to explain," Jack said, "but now that we got that out of the way, there has been an attack in the cafeteria and….is he okay?"

In the midst of confusion, nobody realized that Troy had been slowly sliding out of his chair and onto the floor.

"Troy," Abed pulled him back up, putting a hand to his forehead, "he's running a fever."

"My arm...it feels funny," Troy said, rolling up his sleeve.

Annie hopped to her feet, undoing the bandage on his arm and gasping at the wound. The area was swollen, blood weeping out of the corners and green tinge looking darker than it had the previous day.

"Jack, look," Rex pointed to Troy's arm, taking out a picture Britta had given them of one of the crime scenes.

Jack's eyes widened. Same bite pattern, same discoloration.

"Oh my god, one of those things bit you," Britta said in shock.

"It was a cat," Abed said.

"I don't think it was a cat," Annie said, "I knew it wasn't a cat."

"We need to get him to a hospital," Shirley said.

"Gwen, you stay with these guys and get him medical treatment," Jack went into work mode, "Rex, come with me. We'll go investigate the scene in the cafeteria."

Gwen nodded as he and Rex ran off.

"Who has a vehicle large enough to drive us back to the hotel," Gwen asked.

"Hotel," Pierce said, "I hardly think this is the time to go to a hotel."

"Too many questions will be asked at the hospital," Gwen said, "we have medical supplies stowed away in our room."

"My van is big enough," Shirley said.

"Alright, let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

The only thing I relatively own are these things attacking people.

* * *

><p>"He said it was a cat," Rex said as he and Jack looked over the body of the newest victim, one of the lunch ladies.<p>

"If it were cats attacking, Britta's cat would have attacked us when we saw her," Jack said.

"Maybe this thing changes into a cat," Rex suggested.

"Well, we won't know for sure until tomorrow," Jack said standing up, deciding they had seen enough.

Rex followed him outside, "It's weird isn't it?"

"What is?"

"That Jeff knew Britta. That they're actually friends."

"I think it's weird that you don't realize how tiny Earth is."

"That talk again?"

"I'm just saying that compared to the rest of the universe, Earth is microscopic. Everyone is bound to meet each other at least once."

"Really? With a population of six billion?"

"Completely possible."

Rex shook his head, chuckling.

"I've got to hand it to Jeff though, he's friends with some very attractive people."

"Don't start," Rex groaned, "don't even start."

"Are you jealous?"

Rex only gave Jack a look, causing Jack to burst into laughter.

* * *

><p>Once Gwen got Troy situated in her bed and treated the bite, her and the study group stayed by his bedside, talking in hushed voices as he fell asleep.<p>

"So, these are your friends," Gwen said to Britta, looking at all the others.

Britta nodded, pointing to each of them, "Annie, Shirley, Pierce, Abed. Troy is the one in bed and I guess you already know Jeff."

"I've heard of Jeff," Gwen said, "never met him yet."

"Nice to meet you, Gwen," Jeff said.

"I still don't understand," Pierce said, "that man with the jacket is your father, Jeff? How the hell is that possible?"

"According to The Doctor, he's an anomaly in time," Gwen said.

Jack and Rex entered the hotel room quietly, knowing that Gwen decided to bring Troy here instead of going to a hospital.

"How is he," Rex asked.

"He's asleep, but he has a high fever," Gwen said, glancing over to him.

"Can I have a word with you two," Jack said, looking to Gwen and Rex.

As Gwen and Rex left with Jack, the study group fell into an uneasy silence.

"What did we just get ourselves into," Shirley asked aloud.

The group looked to her.

"We're mixed up with some strange organization," Shirley said, "they're not revealing much to us, it's all secretive."

"Actually, I'm the one who got mixed up in it," Britta said, "but, Rex was C.I.A., I had no idea he quit and became part of Torchwood."

"It doesn't help that I'm related to a time anomaly," Jeff said.

"Guys," Abed said, "we had no control over getting involved. It happened by chance."

"You're right," Annie said, "we sort of fell into it. Wouldn't be the first time this happened."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the other room, Jack was having a conversation with his two teammates.<p>

"No, we're not retconning anyone in that room," Gwen protested.

"We're not retconning Jeff or Britta," Jack said.

"Jack, that's more people on our side," Rex said, "they could help us."

"Also, that's a way to really get your son to like you," Gwen said, "wipe all of his friends' memories. Smart plan."

"I don't want them to get involved," Jack said, "I don't want any more people to get hurt or killed because of me."

"That's not up to you," Gwen said, "it's up to them. It's their choice whether or not they want to be involved or not."

"There's strength in numbers," Rex said, "the three of us can't do everything, but nine of us can."

It was hard for Jack to fight his point when Gwen and Rex had valid points of their own.

He sighed, "Fine. We'll give them a chance to back out."

"And even if they do back out, no retcon," Rex said.

"Okay, okay," Jack said, putting his hands up in surrender, "no retcon period."

Jack, Rex, and Gwen stepped back into the room, the study group looking at them expectantly.

"How would you like to work with us," Jack asked, "if you don't want to, you're free to leave."

"None of us are leaving," Jeff said, "we're involved with this completely. Especially because of Troy."

"Alright, that settles it then doesn't it," Gwen said, looking at Jack with a raised brow.

"Yeah, it's settled," Jack shot back at her, "So, I know a few of you already, but I don't know the rest of you. What are your names?"

Once the group introduced themselves to Jack and Rex, Jack turned to Abed.

"Troy said it was a cat, right," Jack asked.

Abed nodded, "I was right next to him when he was trying to bring it inside. It had these glowing green eyes."

"So, we're looking for a creature with glowing green eyes that looks like a cat," Jack said, "who wants to go on a hunt?"

* * *

><p>Annie chose to stay behind to monitor Troy while the rest of the group and Torchwood packed themselves into Shirley's van, heading off to the neighborhood where Chez Trobed-Annie resided. When they parked, Jack and Gwen hopped out first, going to the back and opening up cases they had packed along with them.<p>

"How good are you guys with guns," Rex asked the remaining study group.

"How good are we with guns," Britta scoffed, "you've never seen us play paintball."

"We can handle guns just fine," Shirley said.

"Good," Jack said, "because you'll be needing these."

Jack and Gwen started passing out handguns to them, impressed when they started checking the chambers, checking ammo, and finally taking off the safety.

"We're going to split into two groups," Jack said, "Jeff and Shirley, you'll be with Gwen and I. Britta, Abed, and Pierce, you'll be going with Rex. We'll start out at opposite ends of the neighborhood and meet right back here. If something happens, shout. If you find this creature, shoot first and then shout. Any questions?"

"What happens after we find and shoot the creature," Abed asked.

"We're going to take it back with us and examine it," Jack answered, "maybe even find out if we can cure Troy from it."

"Cool," Abed said.

"Anything else," Jack asked.

Everyone remained silent.

"Okay. Rex, head that way with your team," Jack pointed, "Everyone else, follow me."

The two groups split, Jeff and Shirley following close behind Jack and Gwen.

"You're a lot like him, you know," Shirley whispered to Jeff.

He glanced at her, "Really?"

"You're both natural leaders," Shirley said, "that's a good trait to have."

He gave Shirley a small smile.

"Not to mention you both have the same eyes," Shirley commented, "if he wasn't your father and I was still single...I'd be all over that."

Jeff made a face.

"If you weren't his friend and single, I'd take you up on that offer," Jack said, overhearing Shirley's comment.

"And now you've officially scarred me," Jeff said, "thanks."

* * *

><p>Britta and Rex took the lead while Abed and Pierce stayed back, watching behind them for any signs of the green-eyed creature.<p>

"You have an interesting group of friends," Rex commented.

"Same could be said for you," Britta retorted.

Rex smiled, "Touché"

"How did you get with them anyway," Britta asked.

"Do you remember the Miracle," Rex asked.

Britta knew too well about that, "We almost had to restrain Pierce at one point during that time. He was so convinced he was invincible."

"I was invincible," Pierce fired back.

"That's how I got with them," Rex said.

"Guys, I think I just saw it," Abed said, freezing in his spot.

The others had stopped walking, looking in every which direction for it.

"Are you sure," Britta asked.

"I saw it's eyes," Abed replied.

"Where did you last see it," Rex questioned.

"I saw it behind that dumpster," Abed gestured with his gun.

Rex cautiously started stepping toward the dumpster, gun out in front of him.

"What are you doing," Britta said, "come back here!"

"Just cover me," Rex snapped back her.

Britta huffed in frustration when Rex slowly rolled the dumpster forward. He jumped back, gun poised and ready.

"There's nothing back here Ab-"

He was cut short when he was suddenly attacked by a small creature, knocking him to the asphalt in the process and causing him to drop his gun. He grabbed at the small creature, getting a good look at him. It was cat like with gray fur, but with large green eyes and a circular mouth which latched on to his chest as it's claws dug into his skin.

"SOMEONE SHOOT THIS THING," Rex shouted, trying to wrestle it off of him and failing.

Britta fumbled with her gun for a moment, but managed to pull the trigger. Rex screamed out in pain.

"THAT WAS MY ARM!"

"Sorry," Britta said, panicking.

Two shots rang out, both hitting their target. Britta and Abed looked over, seeing Pierce and Gwen standing side by side with guns still smoking. Jeff, Shirley, and Jack stood behind them, looking at the small creature in awe. Rex tried to pull the creature off, but it still kept its grip on him.

"A little help please," Rex asked, looking at the group.

Jack and Abed stepped forward, Jack ripping the creature from Rex and Abed getting him to his feet.

"And you said you were good with guns," Rex said, eyes narrowing at Britta.

"I panicked, I'm sorry," Britta said.

"We need to get you back to the hotel," Shirley said, "that thing bit you."

"I'll be fine," Rex said.

"But I shot you," Britta pointed out.

Rex sighed, tearing his sleeve open and revealing a completely healed arm.

"Like I said, I'm fine," Rex repeated.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention," Jack said, "he's like me. A fixed point in time."

"What a group you make," Pierce said, "The two immortal men and the English woman."

"I'm Welsh," Gwen corrected.

"You all sound the same anyway," Pierce said.

Gwen glared at him and was about to say something when she was interrupting by a cell phone ringing. Jeff pulled his phone out, seeing Annie's name on the screen.

"Annie?"

"_Jeff? You need to get back here right now."_

Jeff heard the distress in her voice. He put the phone on speaker for the others to hear.

"What happened," Jeff was starting to worry.

"_Those things...one of them got in here…"_

"Shit," Britta mumbled.

"_I fought it off, but...it bit me and…"_

Looks were exchanged for a brief second.

"Annie, we're on our way, okay. We'll see you soon," Jeff said to her, trying to stay calm.

"_Hurry, please!"_

Once the line went dead, the group took off running toward Shirley's van.

"I'll drive," Jack said, "we'll get there faster."

He shoved the dead creature into Jeff's arms as he got into the driver's seat.

"I'm not holding this all the way there," Jeff protested.

"Put it in the back and get in," Gwen ordered him as she got shotgun.


	6. Chapter 6

Still do not own anything.

* * *

><p>The phone slipped out of Annie's bloody hand, falling to the floor while she clutched her chest. Even with the blood seeping through her fingers, she was determined to keep pressure on the open wound.<p>

"Annie? Annie…"

Her eyes went to the bed. She could barely see Troy from the ground, but she could see he was looking for her.

"Where are you? Abed? Jeff?"

"Troy, the others are on the way," Annie answered him in an even tone, "be patient."

"Where are you, Annie," Troy sounded desperate.

"I'm right here," Annie replied to him, "I just can't reach you."

"I can't see you! Where are you?"

"I'm on the floor."

Troy rolled over, his eyes darting every which way, "I can't see you!"

"Troy, I'm right in front of you!"

His eyes finally found her, but looked right through her, "I still can't see you."

That's when it hit her, "You're blind."

Troy's face went from confusion to horror. He blinked a few times and let his eyes wander around the room.

"I am blind," Troy said, "oh my god, I'm blind!"

Annie heard the door bust open. A few seconds later, Jeff barged into the room.

"Annie," the color drained from his face as he went to her side, seeing the blood on her purple cardigan and leaking through her fingers. He removed her hands and replace them with his own, unable to say a word as the others came in.

"What's happened to Annie," Troy asked in confusion.

"You looked right at her," Shirley said, "can't you see she's bleeding out of her chest?"

"WHAT," Troy exclaimed.

"He can't see anything," Annie said, "he's blind."

"Why didn't you tell me," Troy was in tears at this point.

"Because," Annie was finding it hard to breathe, "I didn't want to alarm you."

"Everyone, first priority is Annie," Jack said, maintaining a cool head, "we need to stitch her up, right now."

Gwen kneeled down next to Jeff, "I'll stitch her up. Jeff, I can take it from here."

Jeff didn't budge.

"She's in capable hands," Gwen said, "please let me take her."

He glanced over to her, "If I let go, she'll bleed out."

"She won't, trust me," Gwen reassured him.

"Let her," Annie's breaths were becoming short, "take me. Please Jeff."

His eyes peered into Annie's, which were pleading with him to give her over to Gwen. He sighed and removed his hands, Gwen stepping in quickly to take over putting pressure on the wound.

"Jeff, step back. Britta, Abed, assist Gwen," Jack commanded.

Britta and Abed shoved passed Jeff, Abed looking calm and collected while Britta look like she was going to get sick.

"We need to move her to the other room," Gwen said to them, "take her arms."

Abed and Britta hooked their arms around around Annie's, lifting her up. They guided Gwen, who was walking backwards, toward the door as she still held her hands against Annie.

"I think I found what attacked Annie," Pierce said, pointing to the ground.

Rex bent down and examined the lifeless body of a black and white cat. It looked nothing like the creature they had shot, but the dried blood on its paws and face made it the culprit.

"Rex, Pierce, take this cat and whatever we just shot and get them set up for testing," Jack told them.

They nodded, filing out of the room with the cat in hand. Jack looked Jeff over, noticing how lost and out of it he seemed as he stared at the blood on his hands.

"Shirley, help Jeff clean up," Jack said gently.

Shirley nodded, taking his arm and leading him to the bathroom. Jack sat down at the edge of the bed, watching as Troy rubbed his eyes and opened them repeatedly.

"Do you remember who I am," Jack asked.

"Captain Jack," Troy replied, "right?"

"Right. Do you know where you are?"

"No."

"You're in a hotel room, on Gwen's bed," Jack told him, "you remember Gwen, right?"

Troy nodded.

"We're going to do everything we can for you."

"You're going to get my sight back?"

Jack leaned forward, putting a hand to Troy's forehead. He was still boiling hot.

"No guarantees on that one," Jack replied, "but we're going to try our hardest."

* * *

><p>Gwen, Abed, and Britta brought Annie back into Gwen's room, laying her on the bed next to Troy.<p>

"She lost a lot of blood, but she'll live," Gwen reported to Jack.

"She was bitten twice," Abed said, "once on her ankle, once on her calf."

"And the wound in her chest," Jack asked.

"We think that's where it finally pounced on her and attempted to tear her chest open," Britta said somberly.

Troy felt around on the bed for a moment before finding Annie's hand, grasping it tightly.

"I didn't hear any of it," Troy said in a quiet voice, "if I heard something I could have done something."

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything," Gwen said, "you can't see anything."

"I can still hear," Troy said, "I'm not completely handicapped."

Britta was already feeling Annie's forehead and cheeks, "The fever is starting."

Jeff stepped back into the room with Shirley behind him, his hands completely clean of blood.

"I told you she was in capable hands," Gwen said to Jeff.

Jeff remained silent.

"I'm going to give you more medicine Troy," Jack said, "and let you rest. The rest of us are going to see what answers we can get from the cat and that creature."

"I want to stay here," Jeff said.

"They'll both be asleep," Shirley said, "it'll be more useful if you were with us."

"Fine," Jeff turned and left the room.

"He really cares about, Annie," Abed said, "and he's also feeling sorry for Troy."

Jack gave Troy his medicine, standing up and facing the door, "We need to go out there and figure out what the hell this thing is."

He walked out of the room, Abed following a few moments later. Britta and Shirley exchanged worried looks.

"Should I feel guilty about this," Britta asked, "like this is all my fault?"

"No," Shirley said, "none of this is your fault. Like Annie said, we fell into it."

"More like I got myself bit into it," Troy said sleepily.

"Troy, you should rest," Shirley said, "and it's not your fault either. You just felt sorry for a poor stray. You had no idea it was a beast in waiting."

"They're waiting for us out there," Britta said, motioning to the door, "Someone will be back to check on you guys, okay?"

Troy had already fallen asleep, his grip loosening slightly on Annie's hand.

* * *

><p>"Nice of you to finally join us," Rex said as Britta and Shirley joined the others in the kitchenette.<p>

"And since you two missed it," Gwen said, "we just found out that the cat and the thing we shot down are the same species. Looks like we don't need that lab result anymore."

"The cat was infected with an alien parasite that causes it to change shape," Jack continued, "the reason our creature didn't change back to a cat was because it died before it could."

"So, they're cats," Shirley said, "all of them."

"And how did the cat die," Britta asked, "Annie never said how she killed it."

"Blunt force trauma," Abed said, striding over to the door to Gwen's room.

He opened it and revealed a dark brown stain on the door, "She slammed the door on it numerous times."

The corner of Jeff's lip turned up briefly, proud that she managed to fight the beast off.

"Wait, you said it was a parasite that infected these cats," Britta said, "and if we killed two, how many others could be out there?"

"Who knows," Rex shrugged, "maybe ten, maybe a hundred."

"We can't possibly kill all of them," Pierce said.

"We can if we find the source," Jack said, "which we can track since the parasite got extracted from our cat here."

"I think we should give a name to these things," Abed said, "so we can stop calling them things."

"Would you like to do the honors then," Jack asked.

Abed looked up in thought, "Grimalkin."

"Not bad," Jack replied, "Grimalkin it is."

"Got the tracker working," Gwen said, grinning.

"Let's go find this source," Jack said excitedly.

"Captain," Jeff finally spoke up, "can I stay here? To watch over Troy and Annie?"

Jack shook his head, "We'll need all hands on deck."

"Then who's going to make sure a Grimalkin doesn't attack them again," Jeff pointed out.

"Lock the windows and doors," Jack said, "the last one got in because of an open window."

Jack walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I know how you're feeling right now," Jack whispered to him, "but you can't let your emotions get the best of you in this type of situation."

Jeff sighed, "You're right."

"Of course I am," Jack said, "I'm the Captain."

"That's where I got that from," Jeff said, giving him a small smile.

"You know, maybe we should wait this out one more day," Shirley suggested, "get some rest before we go attack this thing. It'll do us a lot of good."

"I'm inclined to second that suggestion," Pierce said.

Gwen and Rex looked to Jack for approval.

"That's actually a good suggestion," Jack said looking to everyone, "Tomorrow. 8 am sharp. Meet here and be prepared to hunt down the source."

"I'm staying here, Captain," Jeff said to Jack.

"You really care about this girl," Jack said to him.

"And Troy," Jeff added.

Jack rolled his eyes, "I saw the way you looked at her, the way you reacted when you saw her bleeding on the floor."

"We all did, actually," Gwen added.

"That doesn't mean I care about Troy any less," Jeff defended, "he got bit first."

Jack chuckled and shook his head, "You can stay."

"Um, I believe I'm now without a room," Gwen crossed her arms.

"You can share with me," Jack replied.

"What about me," Rex asked.

"Britta, don't take this the wrong way," Jack said, "but your cats might be a danger, so I'm sending Rex with you."

"What," Rex and Britta exclaimed.

"Didn't you mention one cat hiding under the bed," Jack said, "I'm not risking you getting bit. That's why Rex is going with you."

Britta rolled her eyes and looked to Rex, "I hope you don't mind the couch."

"As long as it doesn't shoot me in the arm, I don't mind at all," Rex shot back.

"Behave you two," Gwen said sternly.

"Right, see all of you tomorrow morning," Jack said, waving to everyone.


	7. Chapter 7

Looks like there may only be about 2 chapters left to this fic. So...enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me," Pierce asked as Abed got dropped off at his apartment complex.<p>

Abed nodded.

"Be safe," Shirley said to him.

"You too," Abed said before he turned and went inside.

When he stepped into the apartment, he suddenly wished he accepted Pierce's offer. It felt cold and empty without Troy and Annie. Maybe he should have stayed back at the hotel with Jeff. All of his doubts and thoughts ceased however when he noticed the apartment window was open. He remembered that Annie opened it earlier that morning when Troy was complaining about feeling too hot, but they had neglected to shut it before they left for school. His eyes darted to the blanket fort when he heard a low growl coming from within the linen walls. Abed dove into the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers until he found a steak knife. It wasn't his initial weapon of choice, but it would have to do.

He slowly crept over to the blanket fort, the growls still continuing with every step he took. His fingers gently pushed back the curtain of blankets, peeking inside to see a Grimalkin curled up on his pillow asleep. This was his chance to get the first strike. In one swift motion, he jumped into the blanket fort and plunged the tiny steak knife into the Grimalkin's side. It woke with a scream as Abed stabbed it a second time. Abed managed to slash the Grimalkin's throat, which finally killed it. As it bled out onto Abed's bed, it shifted back into a normal tabby cat. Abed dropped the knife and ran to the window slamming it shut. He took several breaths as he leaned against the window, hearing sirens in the distance.

"The police will be here any moment," Abed said aloud, "I need to come up with a story."

* * *

><p>"There you are Rufus," Britta said, picking up cat as she and Rex entered her apartment.<p>

"Careful, that might not be your cat," Rex said, shutting the door behind him.

Britta turned, showing him Rufus, "He's normal. Look at him."

"What about your other cat," Rex asked with a raised brow, "the one that's been hiding under your bed?"

Britta set Rufus down on her couch, "If he's been hiding under my bed, then he probably hasn't been infected."

"Or maybe he has and he's waiting for the right moment to strike," Rex said, going toward her bedroom.

"Don't you dare," Britta said, taking off after him.

Rex sighed, "Fine, you call out your cat. If he's not a Grimalkin, then I won't shoot him."

Britta sent him a glare before getting on the floor and looking underneath her bed.

"Ronald," Britta called, "here kitty kitty."

She received a low moan back. Rex took out his gun, cocking it and pointing at the bed.

"Ronald, come on out," Britta nervously called again.

Britta watched as the cat growled and turned toward her, showing his one green-eye. She gasped, screaming when Ronald charged toward her. Ronald the Grimalkin crashed into her, about to bite into her stomach when Rex finally took a shot at it. The bullet went cleanly through Ronald's head, making him dead before he hit the floor.

"Now that's how you shoot," Rex said to her, pulling Britta to her feet, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Britta answered, "thanks."

"Anytime," Rex replied.

They stood together for a few more moments before breaking apart.

"What should we do with Ronald," Britta asked.

Rex glanced out her apartment window, "I would say toss it, but the neighbors might suspect something."

"I'm sure they already called the cops after all the noise we just made," Britta replied.

"Why don't you get cleaned up and I'll take care of this," Rex said.

Britta nodded, waiting until Rex left her room with Ronald before heading into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Jack was surprised when he found Jeff in the kitchenette around midnight, cup of water in hand.<p>

"She's awake," Jack asked.

"And asking for water," Jeff held up the cup.

"She's blind too, isn't she?"

Jeff nodded.

"How's Troy?"

"He's not getting any better. He's becoming cold."

"He's feeling cold or he's literally becoming cold?"

"Both. He started shaking and that's what woke Annie up. I got him underneath the covers and threw a couple blankets on him, it helped a bit."

Jack shook his head sadly, "This is exactly why I didn't want any of you involved."

"The way I see it, we were eventually going to cross paths anyway and become involved."

Jack frowned before stepping forward and embracing Jeff. Caught off guard, Jeff wasn't sure how to react.

"You know, this only works if you reciprocate the hug."

Jeff carefully set down the cup and hesitantly returned Jack's hug.

"I think this was a long time coming for you," Jack remarked.

"You have no idea," Jeff replied, resting his chin on Jack's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I get it."

After a few more moments, both men pulled away.

"If Troy or Annie get worse, let me know."

Jeff gave him another nod.

"Goodnight, Jeff."

"Goodnight, Captain."

* * *

><p>Rex and Britta were the first to arrive at the hotel that morning, a hour earlier than when Jack said to meet.<p>

"Where is everyone," Rex asked aloud, noticing how quiet it was.

"In here," Gwen called to them from her room.

Britta walked briskly to the room, fearing the worst for Annie and Troy.

"They're not getting better," Gwen said when Britta entered, "I'm sorry."

Britta looked at her two sickly friends, noticing how much they were shivering underneath the blankets and covers of the bed.

"Where's Jeff," Britta asked, glancing down at the empty sleeping bag on the floor.

"You don't see him?"

Gwen pointed at the bed and Britta wondered how she did miss him. Jeff slept soundly between Troy and Annie, gripping the blankets on top of them tightly.

"I have a feeling in the middle of the night he decided to crawl in bed with them, maybe even try to keep them warm with his own body warmth," Gwen said.

Britta felt Rex put an arm around her, trying to comfort her as best he could. That was when Jack walked in, seeing the three of them curled up in bed. He bent down and unzipped the sleeping bag completely, sliding it over the trio on top of the other blankets.

"Jeff has an hour before he has to wake up," Jack said, "let him sleep."

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later, Shirley was behind the wheel of her van with Gwen as shotgun and the others wedged in the back of the van. Gwen would occasionally tell her directions, using the tracker as a guide.<p>

"I think you should stop here," Gwen said, putting the tracker in her coat pocket.

Britta peeked outside, "It's out here."

"No. It's in there," Gwen pointed.

The group peered out their windows to find a towering chemical plant in the distance, grey smoke spiraling up to the sky.

"According to the tracker, there's four entrances," Gwen said, "the source could be anywhere inside."

"Then we better get a move on," Jack said from the backseat, "we have lives on the line here."

Everyone nodded solemnly and climbed out of the van.

They walked the remaining seven blocks, guns at the ready when they finally reached the outer fence of the plant. Through the two chain-link fences, the Grimalkin's carnage was visible to everyone, making a few cringe.

"Looks like we don't have to worry about security," Pierce commented.

Abed had found an opening an opening in the outer fence, one used by the Grimalkin he theorized, which he and Rex pried open for a larger entrance. With a little help from the others to get Pierce and Shirley over the inner fence, they were finally in.

"We're going to split into pairs of two," Jack said, taking the tracker from Gwen, "Pierce and Gwen, west entrance. Abed and Shirley, south entrance. Jeff and Britta, east entrance. Rex and I will take the North entrance and head inside. All of you are to remain outside, I have a feeling once we get near the source, the Grimalkins will start to get defensive and attack. Are we clear?"

The group silently nodded.

"Let's move," Jack commanded.

Abed, Pierce, Gwen, and Shirley took off in one direction while Jeff, Britta, Rex, and Jack took off in the opposite direction. Jack and Rex paused momentarily when they reached the east entrance of the plant.

"Good luck," Jeff said to both of them.

"You too," Jack replied.

He gave Jeff a one armed hug before he turned and set off toward the north entrance. Rex gave a nod to Britta before he turned to follow Jack.

"Rex!"

He stopped and looked back at Britta.

"I know you can't die...but be safe!"

Rex gazed at her for a moment before giving her a smile and turning around to catch up to Jack.

Jeff looked at her with a raised brow, "So...you and Rex?"

"You and Annie," Britta fired back.

Jeff grumbled for a moment and closed his mouth, Britta smirking.

* * *

><p>Rex turned away from the smell of the bodies that were inside the plant as he and Jack walked in, treading carefully.<p>

"You and Britta," Jack began, trying to distract Rex away from what lie on the ground, "what did you two do last night?"

Rex welcomed the distraction, "I shot her cat-turned-Grimalkin. Then the cops came by because the neighbors heard the shots I fired. Talked to them for an hour and then I fell asleep on the couch."

"That was not the answer I was expecting," Jack said, kicking one of the bodies away to open a door.

"Sorry it didn't live up to your expectations," Rex said, stepping inside.

Jack pulled out the tracker, "Go left, then the third door on the right."

Rex nodded, veering to the left and taking off down a long hallway. He skid to a halt when he reached a green door, putting his hand on the knob. Jack nodded to him to push the door open.

Rex took a deep breath, gripped the knob and threw it open.


	8. Chapter 8

Yep, still don't own anything but the Grimalkins.

* * *

><p>"Abed," Shirley said in an alarmed tone, "Abed!"<p>

He looked down, eyes widening. An army of at fifty Grimalkins were charging toward them.

"Shoot," Abed cocked his gun, "start shooting!"

Pierce and Gwen were starting to get cornered by even more Grimalkins.

"They just keep appearing," Pierce said, "you kill one and three appear in its place."

"Just keep firing," Gwen shouted at him, "we need to hold them off!"

Britta and Jeff had managed to find some higher ground and were trying to defend themselves from the oncoming wave of Grimalkins.

"There's too many," Britta cried out, "we can't kill them all."

"We'll kill as many as we can," Jeff said, "then you run."

"What about you," Britta asked.

"Don't worry about me. You run as fast as you can. Either to the others or the van, I don't care, but you run and don't stop."

"You're coming with me. I'm not going to leave you behind!"

"Someone needs to provide a distraction," Jeff argued back.

They looked at each other for a few more moments before going back to shooting the ever growing number of Grimalkins.

* * *

><p>Jack and Rex barged into the room, blinded by the green glow of the source in front of them.<p>

"This is what infected all these cats," Rex said in disbelief, "how?"

Jack squinted as he searched the room for an answer, which he found when he saw a gnawed on corner of the wall.

"They broke in," Jack said, pointing to the tiny hole, "got close enough to the source and it latched onto them. I'm going to theorize that it probably conformed to their DNA and that's how it's only able to transfer from feline to feline."

"Speaking of felines," Rex gestured over to the source where a row of Grimalkins sat waiting for them.

The echos of gunshots were heard outside, telling Jack that they were more out there ready to fight.

"So, what's the plan, World War Two," Rex asked, looking to him for answers.

Jack took minute to assess the situation.

"We burn it."

* * *

><p>"Shit," Gwen exclaimed when both of her guns started clicking, "I'm out."<p>

"I am too," Pierce said, tossing the gun at one of the Grimalkins.

Gwen looked around her, trying to find an escape route.

"There," Pierce said, pointing to a clearing in the middle of the army.

"On the count of three, we run."

She held up her hand, counting down with her fingers. Gwen barely got to two before Pierce decided to sprint away.

"Pierce," Gwen shouted, running off after him.

"You were taking to long," Pierce shouted behind him.

Gwen caught up to him, running beside him when the two of them ran into Shirley and Abed who were also running from the Grimalkins.

"Wait, where's Jeff and Britta," Shirley asked.

"Hopefully they've already escaped," Gwen responded, "keep running."

"What if they didn't escape," Abed asked.

"There's over a hundred of those things chasing us and we're unarmed," Gwen said, "if we try to go and save them, we'll die first. Just keep running."

Jeff looked to his right when he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. It was the rest of the group running, not daring to turn back.

"Britta, go with them," Jeff said to her, "they're already escaping. Go!"

"I told you I'm not leaving you behind," Britta said, taking a hold of his arm.

He pulled his arm away, "I'm going to distract them and you run. Don't look back, just keep going."

Before Britta could protest, he hopped down to the ground.

"Hey, you ugly cats," Jeff shouted to the Grimalkin, "if you want me, come get me."

He took off toward the north entrance, leaving Britta on the ledge to wait for the sea of Grimalkins to clear. She finally jumped down, but didn't take off with the others. Instead, she went in Jeff's direction, treading carefully to avoid being heard by the Grimalkins. Britta flattened herself against the wall as she neared the corner, sliding until she met it.

She turned her head, peeking around the corner only to look away and choke back a sob. The only thing she saw was was a mound of Grimalkins with no Jeff to be found. Britta felt herself sliding down the wall, unable to pick herself up and go to the others. When she said she wasn't going to leave him behind, she meant it. She had to figure out a way to get him away from the Grimalkins, whether he was alive or not.

* * *

><p>"Jack, hurry up," Rex said, whacking away another Grimalkin who tried to latch onto him, "I can't keep this up for much longer!"<p>

"Yes you can," Jack said as he ran back in with more flammable fluid that he spilled onto the source.

He ripped away the Grimalkin that attached to his leg and threw it at the source.

"That should do it," Jack said to Rex, pulling off the three Grimalkins that attached to him, "you have a bullet left?"

"The one you told me to save," Rex said, exasperated, "yeah, I still have it."

He and Jack backed themselves up to the door, Jack swinging it open.

"Use it now! Shoot at the source!"

Once Rex was behind the door, he shot off his final bullet.

* * *

><p>Annie gasped as she sat up, heaving off all the blankets that were weighing her down. She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes as they tried to adjust to the sunlight coming in through the window. After blinking a few more times, she cast her eyes over to Troy to see if she had woken him up, but found him still sleeping. She sighed and laid back down on the bed only to shoot back up again.<p>

Annie could see Troy. Clear as day. She also no longer felt cold or sickly.

"Troy," Annie shook him gently, "Troy, wake up!"

"No. I wanna sleep," Troy groaned.

"Troy, I can see you."

"Good for y-"

His eyes snapped open, darting around the room before he turned to face Annie.

"I can see you too," He pushed the covers off, "and it's too hot for all these blankets."

"They did it! We're cured," Annie cheered excitedly.

They embraced each other, laughing and smiling.

* * *

><p>The others managed to get back to Shirley's van, locking themselves in as the Grimalkins' growling and scraping continued.<p>

"I'm starting to worry for them," Shirley said, "for Jeff and Britta. For Jack and Rex."

"Jack and Rex are going to be fine," Gwen said, "but...I didn't see Britta or Jeff."

"I figured someone wouldn't make it," Abed said.

"That's horrible," Shirley said, taking offense to what he said.

"I didn't mean it like that," Abed explained, "I meant that usually in movies or television, someone usually dies as a sacrifice for someone else. Maybe Jeff and Britta sacrificed themselves for us."

"This isn't a movie, Abed," Gwen said, "this is real and I'm trying to keep a positive outlook on Jeff and Britta."

"I'm not sure if it's just me, but things got quiet outside," Pierce said.

Everyone quieted down and listened. Sure enough, the scraping and growling had ceased, replaced by mewling and faint purring. They all hopped out of the van, looking around at all the cats that had decided to rest on the sidewalk and in the street.

"The source has been destroyed," Abed said.

"Everything is back to normal," Shirley said with a small smile.

Gwen saw a blue military coat swishing her way out of the corner of her eye and while she was happy to see Jack and Rex again, there was still no sign of Jeff or Britta.

Rex seemed to notice this as he looked at the group, "Where's Jeff and Britta?"

Jack's triumphant face fell at the silence that rang through the air. This was exactly what he was afraid of. That people would die because of him and that one of those people would be his own flesh and blood. All of them hung their heads, until Pierce saw something in the distance.

"Wait...look," he pointed down the road.

"Oh my lord," Shirley said, gaping at what she saw.

Jack turned, his heart stopping. Four blocks away, Britta limped toward them, covered in blood. She carried Jeff's lifeless body on piggy back, determined to reach the others no matter how injured she was or how heavily Jeff weighed down on her. In a split second, the group rushed over to assist Britta.

Jack, Abed, and Shirley taking Jeff while Britta crumpled in the arms of Gwen and Rex.

"Pierce, get the van started," Rex said to him, "we don't have much time."


	9. Chapter 9

Yep, this is how it all ends. I hope you enjoyed this offering.

* * *

><p>Troy and Annie jumped up from the small couch when they heard the door open, grinning from ear to ear. However, their smiles faded when they realized no one else was smiling. Then...they saw why.<p>

Annie's heart sunk in her chest when she saw Britta being carried in, but it fell into her stomach when Jeff was brought in after her. His clothing was torn and bloody, his skin littered with scrapes, deep scratches and bites. Annie could hardly see his face underneath all the damage it took. Troy's eyes began welling up as he glanced between Jeff and Britta. It was hard for him to see two of his closest friends in this condition.

"You and you," Gwen pointed to her and Troy, "feeling better?"

They slowly nodded.

"Good. You two are going to assist me with him," Gwen said, taking Jeff and going in the direction of her room.

"He's not dead," Troy asked.

"Not yet," Gwen said, "but if we don't start working on him, he might be. Come on."

They followed her quickly, helping her carry Jeff the remainder of the way to her room. The others stayed with Britta as Rex set her down on the couch, Jack getting medical supplies.

"Where's Jeff," Britta asked, strained, "he's not dead is he?"

"He's with Gwen," Rex replied to her, taking the supplies from Jack, "Annie and Troy are with him too. Don't worry, they're not sick anymore."

Britta gave him a weak smile, flinching when he rolled up her pant leg to examine her ankle.

"That's a nasty bite," Shirley commented.

"What happened to you guys," Abed asked.

"Jeff distracted the Grimalkins so I could run," Britta said, "I followed him instead. They were piled on top of him and I couldn't get him. Two of them found me before they returned to normal and attacked me."

"Wait, two of them," Rex asked.

Britta pulled up the bottom of her shirt, revealing a deep cut in her side, "Still got me even though I threw him off."

A phone began to ring, coming in the direction of the kitchenette. Jack crossed the room quickly and picked up.

"Hello?"

"_Room 304?"_

"Yes, this is room 304," Jack answered.

"_There's a visitor in the lobby for you."_

"Thanks, I'll be down in five minutes."

Jack hung up, going to the door.

"Who was that," Pierce asked.

"I think it's those lab results we asked for two days ago."

* * *

><p>Detective Tracy paced in the lobby, folder in her hand, as she waited for the Captain to meet her.<p>

"Detective," Jack greeted her.

"Captain," Tracy repeated the same greeting, holding out the folder to him, "those lab results you asked for."

Jack took the folder, glanced inside and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Wh-what are you doing," Tracy asked, both surprised and offended by Jack's actions.

"Does it always take you 48 hours to process lab results," Jack asked.

"Of course! There are several procedures we have to follow and-"

"And they all take too long," Jack laughed, "I don't need them anymore. My team and I got rid of what was attacking everyone."

"Really," Tracy was flabbergasted.

"Yep. It's all taken care of. Thanks for those lab results though. Very specific and thorough even though they were inconclusive."

"Maybe you can tell me what the creature was then if you've already taken care of it," The Detective inquired.

Jack motioned for her to lean in and step closer. He bent down, getting closer to her ear and smiled.

"You'd never believe me if I told you."

Detective Brown stepped away from him, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Now, if you excuse me, I have other things to tend to," Jack said, spinning on his heel and walking back to the elevator.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later and Jeff's injuries are less severe. He's bummed about the bruises and scars on his face, but Annie assures him that guys with scars are attractive. Britta's ankle healed up nicely and for the first time in weeks she can wear her boots again, which makes the group groan every time she mentions it.<p>

"We get it," Troy finally had enough, "you get to wear your high-heeled boots again while lecturing how sexist men are!"

"Does she always do that," Gwen asked, looking at everyone curiously.

"Everyday," Pierce answered.

"Every hour," Abed tacked on.

"Every minute," Shirley added.

The study group had accompanied Rex, Gwen, and Jack to the airport, wanting to talk with them one last time before they flew back to Wales.

"I am not that bad guys," Britta said, turning to Rex and Jack, "they're exaggerating!"

"Trust me, we're not," Troy said.

"I'm staying out of this," Rex said, holding his hands up.

"Good plan," Jack agrees with a grin.

"Fine, if you wanted me to shut up, you could have said so," Britta crossed her arms and pouted.

"Who said we wanted you to shut up," Jeff said, "we just want a change of subject."

"Okay, our flight leaves in...fifteen minutes," Rex said, glancing down at his watch, "We'll probably be boarding in five."

Gwen stopped just before they reached security, "And none of you can go past this point."

"I guess it's time to say goodbye then," Annie said sadly.

"You guys were amazing," Jack beamed at the study group, "especially you, Britta. I don't care what anyone says, you deserve to wear those high-heeled boots and call men sexist. You earned it!"

Britta blushed, grinning back at Jack.

"I thought you staying out of it," Jeff asked.

Jack gave a shrug in response.

"Hey Jack, if they did so well," Gwen started, "do you think, I don't know, maybe we could add them to our team?"

The study group shared a look of disbelief.

"Not now," Jack replied, "they're still in college. However, when they graduate, they know how to reach us."

"Good point," Gwen said, "or maybe they can run their own Torchwood facility here."

Rex looked at her, "How? There isn't a rift here."

"Actually," Gwen pulled out her tracker, hitting a few buttons before holding up the screen, "there is one. Three miles away from the town center."

Jack looked at her with wide eyes, "That's not possible."

"According to this it is," Gwen said.

"Can you explain what the rift is," Shirley asked.

The intercom overhead screeched above them, letting them know that boarding had begun for their flight.

"Maybe another time," Gwen said, "we have to go."

They hugged one another quickly.

"Captain," Jeff said, "keep in touch."

Jack nodded to him, "I'll call you when I land. Now go home, get some rest. You need it."

Jeff rolled his eyes, "Yes, dad. I'll go home and do that, dad."

The two men shared a laugh before they parted.

"Britta," Rex started, "next time I'm in town, would you like to get coffee with me?"

Britta smiled, "I'd like that."

"I'll call you," Rex said to her with a smile.

"Come on, loverboy, I'm not missing my flight," Gwen said tugging him into the security line.

The study group and Torchwood finally parted ways, the study group heading back to the parking lot and to Shirley's van.

"I'm really gonna miss them," Troy said.

"Me too," Annie chimed in.

"I think we all are," Jeff said.

The Torchwood team boarded their plane, Gwen getting the window seat with Rex and Jack beside her.

"I'm really gonna miss them," Rex said.

"Me too," Gwen chimed in.

"I think we all are," Jack said.


End file.
